


we will always be (together in electric dreams)

by taekwonmeover



Category: VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Dubious Ethics, Fucked Up Relationships, M/M, Other, Past Character Death, Robot Sex, but no one will die in the actual fic, but there will be no actual sex scenes sry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 02:39:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10504716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taekwonmeover/pseuds/taekwonmeover
Summary: Hakyeon and Sanghyuk decide to purchase a Mechanically Augmented Life Companion (MALC) to share. It all goes downhill from there.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [my Dubu](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=my+Dubu).



> i really wanted to write a chasangvi lol, and then this mess happened XD  
> i'm sorry.

“I have filtered through the candidates based on the applications you sent last night and I have a folder of matches for you to consider.”

Hongbin handed them each a plain folder, the contents identical. He was dressed in his usual professional attire – a sleekly cut white shirt, navy slacks, a matching tie – and a pair of slim black framed glasses decorated his handsome face. Both Hakyeon and Sanghyuk raised their eyebrows as they took hold of the slim package.  


“Really Binnie, _paper_? How much money do you guys make?” Hakyeon ran his tan fingers gently over the luxuriant surface, tracing the steady black lines and colourful pictures. His touch was light and to his relief the delicate medium was unharmed by the action.

“Enough.” Hongbin shrugged.

"Obviously.” Sanghyuk snorted under his breath. He nudged Hakyeon and gestured at the glistening foyer that they had been sitting in for the past ten minutes. “How much do _you_ make, and we could never afford this.”

Hakyeon flushed pink, looking down at the polished floor under his patent shoes. The tiles could have replaced any mirror in their home easily, and even from the elevator entrance there were no scuffmarks to show a path had been walked on to get them here to this uncomfortable ivory suede couch seated across from the equally gleaming Hongbin. Both men had come dressed in a similar fashion to emphasise the ‘business’ aspect of the meeting but halfway into Seoul this morning, Hyuk had abandoned his tie and left a few top buttons of his black shirt undone. Hakyeon had gone for the full suit in navy, jacket unbuttoned and dark hair unstyled and he knew he looked good – Hyuk hadn’t stopped touching him in the taxi. Yet despite this knowledge, Hakyeon felt awkwardly under-dressed and out of place in this sterile, perfect room.  


“Take your time reviewing the matches. Once we have a shortlist, I will take you to the showroom and you can both make your decision from there.” Hongbin stood up and brushed out the wrinkles of his shirtfront with his manicured hands.

“What if we don’t like any from this batch?” Hakyeon asked, gesturing at the open folder that Sanghyuk was flicking through and tried to keep the note of hope out of his voice.

“Why don’t you have a look at them before you ask me that?”

“Do they look like the pictures?” Hyuk waved up one of the pages at Hongbin, who frowned.

“Of course they do. They look exactly as in the photos.”

Hyuk rolled his eyes as if his point were obvious and Hongbin was just being willfully obtuse. “Yes, but do they really look like the photos? It’s easy to shop out -,”

“I took the photos myself. There has been no editing.” Hongbin straightened his shoulders and excused himself to the front desk. “Call me once you actually have a look at the matches, will you?”

“Yes sir.” Hyuk muttered sarcastically, but he grinned as soon as the other man was gone and nudged Hakyeon’s shoulder, whispering. “This place is weird as fuck, isn’t it? How do they work here every day?”

“Yeah...it’s like a hospital.” Hakyeon’s eyes roamed over the bright wall-to-wall windows that shared columns of cheerful summer sunshine. The windows circled as far as they could see in the echoing foyer. Outside a blue sky was obscured by edges of tall buildings and faint dashes of white clouds. Hakyeon resisted the urge to gag – more perfection

“Uh, not even. Hospitals have people in it. You know, life. And music.”

Hyuk wasn’t wrong. Other than Hongbin ten metres away behind the front desk and the two of them on the couch, the place was completely empty. Their whispers carried across the sun-filled room and the only sign Hongbin gave of not listening was that he appeared engrossed in typing something on his tablet.  


“And dying in it too. What’s your point? I’m saying it’s like a hospital because it’s-“ Hakyeon cut himself off when he saw Hyuk’s cheeky smile and chose to hit his knee instead of continuing. “Stop being a dick, you know what I meant. Come on, let’s have a look.”

Hakyeon tucked his own folder under his arm and relaxed against Sanghyuk’s shoulder, watching as his partner flicked through the pages. A few of the pictures caught Sanghyuk's eye and he nudged Hakyeon to show him one.  


“What do you think?”

Hakyeon nodded, eyes skimming over the description twice before nodding again to himself and glancing up at Hyuk through his lashes.  


“Yeah, I like. You?”

Sanghyuk scrunched up his nose, tilting the page side to side as if it would summon a 3D image or give him more insight on what he was looking at.  


“Ok. Not my type.”

They shuffled through more of the pages. At Hakyeon’s insistence they made three piles of ‘yes, no, maybe’ to sort the matches into until they reached the end. So far, the ‘yes’ pile was empty. Throughout the process Hakyeon found his attention roaming the mostly empty space, trying to push back the relief he felt at that empty pile. Behind Hongbin’s desk were three doors, each an anonymous slab of birchwood. Hakyeon found his eyes, when not on Sanghyuk, would rest on them unconsciously. Probably, he reasoned, because they were the only inanimate things in here that weren’t white and actively trying to burn his hyper-sensitive retinas. It looked like real wood too; if they could have real paper then why the hell not? There was something comforting about seeing organic matter in a place like this, and Hakyeon felt himself smiling at the thought. One of those doors definitely led to the showroom, he decided, and the other two were probably private offices. Hyuk glanced at Hakyeon and followed his gaze to the front desk, where Hongbin sat working diligently.

“Oi, Bin!”

Hongbin flinched at the sound, large eyes glaring at the intrusion. 

“What? Have you fin-”

“Can we get some music up in here, or something? It’s so quiet if you scratched your balls I’d know it from the echo!”

Hongbin muttered something under his breath but in a few seconds soothing piano chords trickled through the speakers.  


“Hey! Old man! Try something from this century?”

“It _is_ from this century – the composer is-"

BANG.

One of the doors behind Hongbin burst open, slamming against the wall so hard that the windows each shuddered. Every man in the room jumped out of his seat and Hakyeon felt himself stumble, clutching at his chest. If it weren’t for Hyuk’s arms around his waist he would have fallen over from shock.  


“HA! I KNEW I HEARD YOU TWO!”

The shout came through before the man did, reverberating through the echo chamber. When he came out of the dark doorway, his arms were raised in triumph.

“Oh god here we go.” Hakyeon groaned, leaning further into Hyuk’s touch. This was the last thing that he wanted to deal with today. “Here we fucking go.”

“WELCOME, HYPOCRITES, TO MY LAIR!” The man came through with a flourish of steel covered hands and dazzling eyes, grey shirt covered in stains and blue shorts riddled with tears. His brown hair was swept back with what Hakyeon hoped was gel, but was probably grease and sweat in reality.

“Jaewhan, what have I told you about bothering the customers?” Hongbin snapped but Jaehwan was too busy doing a victory dance closer to where Hakyeon and Sanghyuk stood, undulating to the rhythm only a winner could hear. Dancing was perhaps too generous of a word to describe the flailing the three men bore witness to that day.

“They’re not customers Honeybinnie, they’re hypocrites~” Jaehwan sang gleefully, and showed off his golden voice while shaking his ass in Hyuk’s general direction. The singing stopped abruptly when he nearly got a smack from Hakyeon but he was still grinning. “They came because they couldn’t resist my genius and sweet a-,”

“Jaehwan, if you cannot calm yourself in front of the customers then go back to the workshop.” Hongbin reached to grab for one of the steel covered hands, only to gasp as suddenly those hands were around his hips, pulling in him close.

“Oh Binnie, I love it when you talk all professional. We should kick these two out and get some real work done.” Jaewhan purred, nuzzling the flustered man in his arms. Hongbin wriggled free, his previously immaculate hair starting to resemble his lover’s from the effort.

“Shut up, Jaehwan. We’re here on business.” Hakyeon growled.

“And with money. Lots and lots of money.” Sanghyuk added hopefully. “So show us the best you’ve got.”

“Why should I? You two were always too good for one of my creations before, why now?” Jaehwan looked down his nose at the pair, and it being of a classical Roman handsomeness, the look was equally parts regal and disdainful. "You are not worthy of my best."

They were saved by Hongbin turning on him.  


“Jaehwan, don't be a baby. Just because they're friends doesn't give you the right to harass them. When they contacted me about this, I promised to treat them as I would any other customer."

"Then isn't it a good thing, sweetbean, that I didn’t promise?"

"I knew you wouldn't, that's why I didn't tell you."

Hakyeon stepped forward, his face red and he felt Hyuk's grip transfer from his hip to his hand.  


"If you don't want our money Jaehwan-hyung, that's fine. We can always take our business elsewhere." Hyuk shrugged, turning towards the elevator.

"I did make an appointment with Kim Jongwoon this afternoon, that's true." Hakyeon agreed, squeezing Hyuk's hand. “We’re meeting Ryeowook too for lunch afterwards.”

"HOW _DARE_ YOU," Jaehwan spluttered. "HE IS A HACK AND A CRAZY PERSON!"

"Pot, kettle, is no one else seeing this?" Hyuk asked the whole room and Hakyeon and Hongbin nodded vigorously.

"Now. If you have no objections, I would like to do my job, Jaehwan." Hongbin gave him a long and severe look that hardened when Jaehwan threatened to open his mouth. Jaehwan grumbled and picked up Hongbin's tablet, dabbing at files instead. "Thank you. Now, where were we? Did you have any preferred choices?"

Hyuk and Hakyeon shared a glance, both shaking their head.

"Really? None of the matches were suitable? We picked it based on your shared preferences and there were at least 4 in that file that were exact matches..." Hongbin rubbed his upper lip, looking to Jaehwan. "What do you think, Jaehwan?"

Jaehwan ignored the question in favour of scrolling through the tablet.  


"It feels too...artificial-" Jaehwan snorted and Hakyeon shot him a withering glare before continuing, "We'd prefer to see some, it might help to make the choice."

"I see. Then the showroom is this way." Hongbin went to bypass the door that Jaehwan had entered through but the other man stopped him.

"No. If you really want to see my best, then come see what I'm working on." Jaehwan gestured at the open door. Hyuk pulled Hakyeon along eagerly but before they were allowed to cross the threshold, Jaehwan glared at them and blocked the path with outstretched arms, steel covered hands squeezing the wooden frame.

"Oh for God's sake Jaehwan can you-"

"No! Only people who hate Kim Jongwoon are allowed to enter beyond this point."

Hyuk laughed, patting Jaehwan's shoulder and shoved his way through easily. "We hate him too, Jae-hyung, you know that. Now come on, I wanna see what you've got!"

  
\--

Jaehwan's workshop was almost like stepping into a negative zone of the foyer. The hallway was packed so thickly with computer and engine parts that they had to walk in single file, and it was so dark that Hakyeon's eyes had to activate low-level night vision to see Hyuk's hand holding his in front of him. At least the platinum blond hair made Hyuk easier to spot.

"Oh god how do you stand it in here?" Hakyeon turned to ask Hongbin behind him, careful not to trip on one of the many wires that crunched underfoot. 

"I avoid it." Hongbin's voice was deep with disgust and he was walking sideways to prevent anything from touching him.

"ARE YOU TWO SHIT-TALKING MY CREATION ZONE?"

"YES JAEHWAN. IT REEKS IN HERE!"

"MY IMAGINATION SMELLS, HAKYEON, GET USED TO IT."

Hyuk was laughing so Hakyeon gave him a smack on the butt, but that only resulted in a cheeky shimmy that made Hakyeon lose focus and he nearly walked into him. The junk surrounding them began to transition from parts to headless torsos, slabs of peachy and brown silicon rubber, and hundreds of fingers and legs hung from the ceiling. Hakyeon caught sight of a crate full of eyeballs staring back at him beside jars of preserved organs and he had to clamp a hand over his mouth to keep his breakfast down. And to prevent himself from screaming. It felt like he was descending into some private hellscape and for the third time today he wished that they hadn't come here. This was a mistake. Fuck Jaehwan, Jongwoon's workshop couldn't be as depraved as this.  


"Oh calm down Hakyeon-hyung, they're all fake." Hyuk teased, plucking at an eyeless head laying among the chaotic rubble. A set of black eyelashes came off from it, squeezed between Hyuk's fingers and Hakyeon fought down his gag reflex.

"YAH! HYUKKIE DON'T TOUCH MY STUFF."

"Well, isn't that why we came here in the first place? To buy your stuff so we can touch it?"

"Not until it belongs to you." Hongbin pointed out.

Hyuk dropped the thin film of hair on the concrete floor and chased after Jaehwan's retreating back. Hakyeon breathed in shakily and tried to ignore the fact that the rows of eyes were now being joined by scattered teeth and toes, as well as hundreds of smashed or melted skulls. He dimmed his hazel eyes to fog any more freaky details from reaching his notice.  


"So what kind of guarantees do we get with our purchase?" Hakyeon asked Hongbin, desperate to hear something _normal_.

"Monthly servicing from one of our best technicians at a reduced rate, and all upgrades will be free of charge for the model you bring home.” Hongbin recited calmly, as if he knew what Hakyeon needed to hear. “If you wish to upgrade for a new model then fees will apply. Warranty is voided if you open it up or have it serviced by another technician outside our company."

"What about returns?"

"If the goods are undamaged and unused, we will accept it with a full refund for up to a month after payment. We accept all returns since as you can see," Hongbin waved at the stacked shelves but Hakyeon did not raise his head, "we are recyclers first and foremost. But if you have damaged the model in any way or have tampered with its programming then you are not eligible for a refund."

Up ahead there was a brighter light and the hallway began to expand enough for Hongbin to walk beside Hakyeon. Sanghyuk was already at the light source with Jaehwan, his voice full of wonderment and awe and asking dozens of questions. God, he was adorable when he was excited about something.

"Binnie, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course you may."

"As a friend."

"Shoot, hyung."

Hakyeon's eyes zoomed away from Sanghyuk's face but he couldn't bring himself to look at Hongbin. The word hypocrite sang in his head and it sounded a bit too much like his own voice. Instead of asking what was on his mind, he found himself saying, "Why didn't you tell Jaehwan we were coming?"

Hongbin laughed, a deep, purring sound that reminded Hakyeon of a cool ocean wave lapping at a beach of white pebbles. Like everything Hongbin did, the sound was attractive.

"I love him, but he's an asshole. I didn't want you two to be embarrassed for something you had decided on for your relationship. And..." Hongbin's hand sat on Hakyeon's shoulder, brown eyes searching out his hazel ones in the darkness. "I didn't want you to feel any pressure to go ahead if you had second thoughts."

Hakyeon smiled as he met the younger man’s gaze. "You are a very considerate person, Binnie."

"I can't help the way I am." Hongbin said, then added carefully: "Are you having second thoughts?"

Hakyeon looked ahead to where Sanghyuk was circling a half-finished display model and inspecting it with soft fingertips. He didn't have to zoom in to appreciate his younger lover's looks from where he stood in the darkness; Hakyeon had every expression of Hyuk's face engraved into his heart. If Hongbin was to be considered classically handsome - strong chin, big eyes and matching smile - Hakyeon thought of Hyuk as handsome in a boyish way, angular face cut with a sharp jawline but softened with bright eyes and a wide nose Hakyeon loved to kiss when the taller man was close enough. The face of a man he had loved for more than a decade. Sanghyuk had accepted Hakyeon’s confession back when they were teenagers and Hakyeon had had nothing to his name except a dream and a lot of love to give. Sanghyuk had accepted it all with a teasing kiss and made Hakyeon cry with joy.  
One of the many things Hakyeon loved was how Hyuk lit up when he was excited about something. Right now, he was absolutely glowing in Jaehwan's workshop.

"No. We made up our minds."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
